ABB
Celebrates Production Milestone of One Million ABB-free@home® Smart Home Units

Smart Home Units - Home Automation - Smart Home System

ABB launched ABB-free@home in 2014 and added the wireless
version in 2016 to expand the possibilities of the smart
home. The solution makes it easier than ever to control more
than 60 functions including lighting, heating, blinds or
doors from a smartphone or tablet.

ABB-free@home is a major step forward, opening up the home
automation market to electrical installers and wholesalers.
Previous home automation systems required the specialist
knowledge of expert installers and distributors. The system
brings smart home technology to a much wider customer base.

ABB-free@home is simple and straightforward for electrical
contractors to install – saving both time and money. The system
connects directly to a homeowner’s wifi network and integrates a
variety of smart devices to enable their personal smart home.
Its switches and displays are intuitive and simple for
installers to understand, meaning that an installer can learn
the system in only a few hours, increasing his expertise in the
sector.

Tarak Mehta, President of ABB’s Electrification Products
division, said: "We have been delighted at the success of
ABB-free@home. This is a great example of the benefits that
people can experience in their own home through digitalization.
Part of our ABB Ability™ portfolio of connected offerings, we
are continuously advancing the functionality of the ABB-free@home solution. The wireless version launched late last
year and opens a new market segment for renovation.

“With ABB-free@home we offer the fastest growing smart home
system in Europe. Via the myABB Living Space portal we bring the
internet of things into people’s homes to deliver valuable
service support."

Although definitions of the smart home market vary a lot, as
well as figures about market size and growth expectations, what
they all have in common is that the market is already
significant and that the industry will see at least an annual
doubling in the next five years.

According to Zion market research, the global home automation
market was valued at around $7 billion in 2015 and is expected
to reach $27 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of around 25%
between 2016 and 2021.

ABB-free@home wireless is particularly interesting for the
home renovation market. The benefits of an intuitive smart home
systems can be enjoyed without chiseling and plaster work. For
the electrical installer the system is easy and quick to
implement, which supports their business as labor costs are the
largest investment for a smart home upgrade.

The heart of the system, the System Access Point enables
access with PC or tablet and via an existing network or an
ad-hoc connection via WLAN, the functions of the system can be
easily defined and programmed, without special software. With
the new radio modules, an existing wired ABB-free@home system
can be expanded by up to 64 wireless components. The
prerequisite for this is only the installation of the new System
Access Point.

Last year, ABB introduced the intelligent voice control via
the Smartphone App. For example, coming home in the dark you
need to simply say: "Light in the corridor, switch on," and the
light is switched on. ABB-free@home not only enables the capture
and execution of voice commands via App, but also gives the user
a response: "Okay, all the lights in the corridor were switched
off."

Mike Mustapha, Managing Director of ABB’s Building Products
business, added: "This is an exciting space to operate and we
have the experts in building automation solutions working
tirelessly to ensure that we build on our growth momentum
through the introduction of ground-breaking additional
functions.

"Our aim is to make smart home living easier than ever.
Bringing the benefits of the internet of things alive in the
comfort of people’s homes."

ABB is holding a series of customer events to celebrate the
production milestone.